This course will look at codependence and its impact on different areas in life. Codependence can be defined as an attachment to people who seem to need or want emotional caretaking.
The characteristics of codependence can include (but are not decisive nor limited to): overdoing in caretaking, feeling responsible for regulating the emotions of others, difficulty in setting boundaries, encouraging others to rely on the codependent person, feeling rejected when criticized, and experiencing guilt when not there for others.
Codependent individuals tend to be drawn into relationships that are in need of help or that require some kind of ‘saving’. The codependent person seemingly has assigned themselves the task to help others—hence the heroic element that Craig Chalquist talks about in this course.
We will look at the personal, mythic, archetypal, and family systems perspectives while exploring how the dynamic plays out in everyday situations. The course is aimed to assist you in developing satisfactory relationships, in which you meet the other in strength and as an equal.
Course Schedule:
Class 1: Psychological Dynamics of Codependency
In class 1, we will explore what codependency is and what its psychological dynamics look like. How does it show up in our daily lives? Chalquist guides us to identify what tends to reveal itself in people with codependence.
Available Now
Class 2: Codependency and Archetypes
In the second class, we will look at the archetypal level of codependency.
Available Now
Class 3: Codependency in Folklore
This class will look at some folklore (featuring characters that seem to exemplify codependence) and what we can learn from them.
Available Now
Class 4: Codependent Systems: Family, Workplace, and Community
Next, we will consider complex social systems such as the family, workplace, and the community. This class addresses questions like: How does codependence arise in families and what purpose does it serve? How do parts of a system interact with each other and how do they evolve?
Available Now
Class 5: Heeding the Deep Call Inside the Symptom
What are the symptoms of codependency telling us? What can be done about this? How can we heal from codependency? These questions will be examined in this last prerecorded class.
Available Now
Bonus classes
In the three recorded Q&A classes, participants were invited to share their learnings, and engage in a conversation on codependence and ask questions around applying the course learnings.